Police on alert after bomb threat to county schools

Oceanside students attended school on Monday in the wake of two separate threats made last weekend, after Nassau County police deemed neither of the statements serious or credible.

According to police, an individual reported last Sunday that he heard an unidentified male say that he “put bombs in every school in Nassau and set them to go off tomorrow.”

Police said that although the information “seems unrealistic,” all schools are advised to be alert to suspicious packages and people, and that police would be intensifying their patrols on Monday, Nov. 21. The Oceanside School District took its own precautions in response to the potential threat.

“We made sure all of the security guards knew that this was out there, and just to be even more diligent than they are on a regular basis,” said Oceanside Schools Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Harrington.

Island Park Schools Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Bovino could not be reached for comment, but said on the district's Facebook page that the schools "operated with heightened awareness" on Monday, and will for the rest of the week.

In a separate report on Sunday, Harrington said parents informed the Oceanside district of a video on social media posted by an Oceanside high school student, which she said included a weapon, and was “disturbing.” She added that she could not give further information about the video, and Nassau Police declined to comment as the Herald went to press.

According to Harrington, the district notified Nassau police, who went to the home of the student, and found there was no serious threat to the school.

The schools sent out a robo-call Sunday evening to high school parents regarding the police’s findings, Harrington said, as well as an email Monday morning clarifying that the two threats were unrelated.

“Please be assured that the security of the students and staff remain a priority,” Harrington wrote in the email, “and we will continue to work with the Nassau County Police Department to ensure the safety of all.”

Police request that immediate threats should be called in to 911 and those with tips can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. Suspicious social media activity can also be reported through Text-a-Tip, via the Nassau County Crime Stoppers app, which is free and available for smart phones and tablets.

“The bottom line is that it was taken seriously,” Harrington said, “we acted, and it was resolved very quickly.”